Leeds United are having one of their most thrilling seasons in recent years, as they compete for an immediate return to the Premier League.
Daniel Farke’s side is presently sandwiched between table-toppers Leicester City and third-placed Ipswich Town with nine games remaining in the season, and the Whites will be aware that they must maintain their excellent form to win automatic promotion this season.
However, it appears that a handful of elements have developed to complicate Leeds’ pursuit of the title this season, not the least of which is the decision to transfer a number of the Whites’ games to Sky Sports.
Farke’s side hasn’t set off at 3pm on a Saturday since a 3-0 victory over Rotherham United on February 10, and another fixture has been rescheduled for 12:30pm to disrupt the Germans’ plans.
The Championship confirmed via X on Wednesday (13 March) that Leeds’ match against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 13 April will now begin at 12:30 instead of the originally scheduled 3pm start time.
This means that the Whites will have less recovery time than initially intended after their match against Sunderland on Tuesday night (9 April). Although the alteration is minimal, it will almost surely frustrate Farke and his squad.
Will Leeds United get promoted to the Premier League this season?
Leeds United always appear to have more fixtures modified due to the TV schedule than most other Championship teams, and Farke has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the condensed schedule.
So far, the alterations haven’t had a significant impact on the Whites’ results, as they defeated Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City live on Sky Sports, despite the fact that both games were shifted to Friday night kickoffs.
Hopefully, Leeds will continue to improve and beat one, if not both, of Leicester and Ipswich to automatic promotion this season, but it appears that the broadcasters are currently biased against Farke’s side.
